Safety Attitudes

Leading the charge
Morale of the individual, as well as the workforce, is the final piece of the safety puzzle. We have to like what we do and where we work. The "I hate my job" syndrome is a real danger in the workplace. It is infectious and non-productive. It may only take one individual in the hangar with a poor morale to affect the entire hangar. Arguments and unsafe behaviors develop, bad attitudes are created, and everything begins to fall apart. The only way to prevent the loss of morale is genuine leadership. A good leader is one who is an open and fair-minded person and can bring out the best in anybody — regardless of personal feelings.
Safety is a real commitment and management must abide by the results of their own actions and decisions as well as accept responsibility for the actions of the employees. Training has to be encouraged and provided to the employees. Praising and rewarding the employee for safe and productive actions should be the norm — not the exception. Discipline has to be fair and consistent. The ideal manager should have high regard for the worker and treat everyone with respect.
We spend a great deal of our lives at the work site and expect to return home in one piece. When we get ourselves ready for work, we generally do not think of what might happen to us throughout the day. Initiating and adhering to safe practices provides further insurance that we will live to enjoy the fruits of our labor. AMT

Introducing Safety Matters
Safety is and has been an important and overriding theme in AMT since the publication’s inception, but has never been given its own showcase. With that in mind, this new column will appear in each issue and will supply editorial focused on safety for maintenance personnel as well as for the environment in which they work.
In the coming months, Safety Matters will tune into hearing protection, seek relief for heat stress, and uncover uses for personal protective clothing and equipment. We hope you find this new feature informative and enjoyable.
– The Editors